News Professor claims Newton Ct massacre a hoax

Staff: Mentor

This one is a DOOZY!!

A professor at Florida Atlantic University claims that no one was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school, "that trained “crisis actors” may have been employed by the Obama administration to shape public opinion on gun control."

He suggests that there were multiple shooters...that trained “crisis actors” may have been employed by the Obama administration to shape public opinion on gun control.

His blog, with 222 followers, lays out his conspiracy theory in detail, suggesting that it was a training exercise in which actually nobody was killed.

I don't think he can or should be terminated as he did that on a blog. If he is teaching it, then there is a basis, but what he says in a blog should not be grounds for his dismissal from the school so as long as he is teaching in the correct manner.

Many people think crazy stuff any way, and this sort of cockamamie belief is just another 1 of many, many beliefs about things that are obviously wrong. We cannot start firing people because of thoughts they flesh out or beliefs held so as long as it does not affect how they conduct their job.

Staff: Mentor

What about a psychiatric evaluation? Are these the thoughts of a rational mind? Can they start monitoring his classes to see if he touting his "theories" in class?

Where I worked, your behavior after work could be cause for dismissal, including personal blogs, and they could send you to the company psychiatrist if they felt that you might have "issues". I know Academia is different, so I was wondering if we have professors here that would know how these types of things are handled.

I'm not seeing the problem, it makes no sense to fire him unless you believe in firing people for believing stupid things outside of work. For private businesses I would say firing someone for what ever reason should be acceptable. FAL is a public university and given that, the personal political views of the staff are not grounds for termination so long as they are kept separate from work.

Sadly I have met many professors who often inject their personal opinions into their teaching and those opinions often have support of the administration.

Turns out James Tracy, the Florida Atlantic University professor who theorized the Sandy Hook massacre might be a mass media conspiracy, has a history of paranoid weirdness.

Students say the guy went off in class.

Then there is the really weird piece in which the guy actually theorizes pharmaceutical companies create disease to get rich. Don't believe me? Here is a little something from the abstract: "The pharmaceutical industry acts to maximize profits through marketing efforts and the creation of diseases as platforms for the expansion of drug product markets

I would say it reflects badly on the school and its curriculum if students are expressing that he teaches in a similar manner of his comments made.
Reflecting poorly on the school with biased teaching is, in my opinion, grounds for removal/dismissal.

If someone was teaching creationism as a suitable "theory" and a contrary view to evolution to a course dedicated to evolution in college, that professor would not be teaching there for long.

If a course permits him to speak his mind as a professor, then he has grounds, however, if his teaching style contradicts the syllabus and intention of the course, there are grounds for his removal from the institution in my opinion.

If a person doesn't like the science route, then in a philosophical course where you are supposed to be taught the history of Asian philosophy and the professor arrives to class one day and spouts rhetoric on Asian's stealing the philosophy of Europe to make themselves feel better and that European philosophy originated from reptilian Gods, you'd think he should continue teaching?

If a person doesn't like the science route, then in a philosophical course where you are supposed to be taught the history of Asian philosophy and the professor arrives to class one day and spouts rhetoric on Asian's stealing the philosophy of Europe to make themselves feel better and that European philosophy originated from reptilian Gods, you'd think he should continue teaching?

If he/she can back such statements up, then its fine. And allow educational argument over it. Otherwise it is simply throwing stuff at students without them thinking for themselves.

His profession is mass communication if I read correctly. If he is spreading conspiracies, isn't he misconducting?

But, where will you find any standards or conduct rules in the communication fields :tongue2:. Professionals would throw any garbage to the public without being held accountable for the consequences. All thanks to freedom of speech.

Well, the "professor" is calling law-enforcement, EMTs, and the media all liars trying to enable Obama's anti-gun leanings. That's a pretty big conspiracy to hold together, not to mention the funerals.